How to Make Elderberry Syrup in the Instant Pot

This recipe for elderberry syrup calls for the magic of the Instant Pot. In just a few short minutes and some yummy ingredients you will have a super tasty immune boosting mixture that is perfect for these awful flu filled months!

When I first had my munchkin 5 years ago, I promised myself to be the ideal mother, constantly on the search for life changing immune boosting tricks. I was initially reluctant to listen to my mother in law’s tales from the old country about all the natural remedies they used to do to help kids and adults through the flu or any other ailment. However, when my munchkin got her first fever at 6 months I was ready to give her all the garlic and vinegar and honey and anything else to just make that sweetness feel better.

Fortunately, her fever reducer did the trick as did the vinegar that I wiped her down with…I had to admit that sometimes the natural remedies do work! It was after this point that I realized once my baby got done nursing at 1 years old and getting all her immunity from me I would need to do some serious searching for immune boosting.

Enter elderberry syrup.

My best friend first told me about this stuff after my munchkin started daycare and said it was imperative that she take it because it truly helps her little one stay healthy in a cesspool of sick little munchkins.

So I hurried on over to Whole Foods and purchased my $19.99 bottle of Sambucus…aka Elderberry Syrup. Expensive as it was I was willing to pay almost anything to keep my little munchkin healthy year round. But especially in the dead of winters when the sniffles were almost a permanent plague amongst all the daycare dwellers.

It was indeed tasty and effective AND PRICY.

For almost 4 years, I purchased this magic concoction from either Amazon or Whole Foods…until one day a friend who was already a loyal user of the Instant Pot informed me (on her quest to convince me to buy the Instant Pot) that she makes Elderberry Syrup in the Instant Pot for her kids! I was sold.

Into the Instant Pot went my elderberries, a few cinnamon sticks, the and entire orange zested and juiced and half a lemon zested and juiced. Additionally, I added a nice knob of fresh ginger for the health and flavor benefits as well as some of my favorite vanilla paste. I then sealed it all up and set the timer to 7 min on high pressure.

Almost instantly the house was filled with warm scents of cinnamon and citrus. And just a few short moments later I had produced a fabulous brew of immunity boosting deliciousness.

The Technique

The Elderberries: The most frequently asked question is where I can find these elderberries. Well fortunately we are in the age Amazon and with Amazon you can find almost anything. I happen to have bought these Frontier Elder Berries Whole Organic – 1 lbparticular several times already and all is well 🙂 I typically get 3 batches of (1) 32 ounce jar out of one of these bags. Which is a heck of a lot cheaper than the alternative syrup in the stores.

The Flavors: You can pretty much add as much or as little flavor as you want. I stuck to the basics of citrus, vanilla and ginger but feel free to wild here. You can add in cloves, hibiscus, nutmeg, the sky is the limit. You can even add in other dry fruit if you like, I bet some dried strawberries would be awesome in here as well. I just try and limit to my citrus vanilla because that calls to me 🙂

The Cooking Process: There really is not much of a cooking process here is there? Throw everything into the Instant Pot, add in some water, seal the Instant Pot and set to manual cooking on high pressure for 7 min. That’s it, once it’s done simply quick release the pressure, and strain over a bowl.

Straining: After you have strained into a strainer or colander, you want to push down on the fruit and other ingredients. Smash everything ensuring that you get every last bit out of there. Those berries and citrus hold plenty of delicious flavor, squeeze it all out then discard or put in your trash compost if that’s your thing.

Sweeteners: Once the mixture has cooled a bit I like to add some raw honey. You need the mixture to cool down some because if you add in the raw honey to severely hot liquids then all the health and antibiotic properties of honey will be lost due to the heat. If you are not a fan of honey, fell free to add in agave syrup, maple syrup, molasses or just plain sugar. I like honey because it only adds to the health benefits.

Consistency: If you have ever purchased this syrup from the stores, you will notice it does have a rather syrupy consistency. This particular one does not. It is all natural and therefore does not have enough sugar in there to be as thick as the store bought ones. Perhaps if you reduce it, the mixture will certainly get more concentrated and thickened…but frankly I do not have the need for such silliness. I’m just fine with my elderberry tea…or juice 🙂

Storing: If you are not canning this (which I never do) then simply pour this off into a 32 ounce mason jar and place it in the fridge. Each morning prior to breakfast, take a nice shot of your delicious syrup and boost your immunity! This lasts me over a month in the fridge typically.

While this delicious elderberry concoction does not cure all the sniffles, fevers and tummy aches it sure as heck does help my munchkin ward off illnesses. In fact, one doctor even said that as soon as the symptoms of sickness show up, to double the elderberry consumption in an effort to fight off the bug faster. No matter how much truth there is to this…I would rather have my munchkin load up on this yumminess any day instead of her running a rampant fever.

How to Make Elderberry Syrup in the Instant pot

This recipe for elderberry syrup calls for the magic of the Instant Pot. In just a few short minutes and some yummy ingredients you will have a super tasty immune boosting mixture that is perfect for these awful flu filled months!

Course
Dessert

Cuisine
American Classic

Prep Time2minutes

Cook Time7minutes

Total Time9minutes

Ingredients

2cupselderberries

6 cups water

2cinnamon sticks

1orange, zested and juiced

1/2lemon, zested and juiced

1tbspvanilla paste

1inchpiece of ginger

1/2cupRaw honey

Instructions

Place elderberries, water, cinnamon sticks, ginger and vanilla into an Instant Pot.

Zest the orange and the lemon. Juice the lemon and orange. Throw the remaining orange and lemon into the pot after juicing. As it cooks, it will melt down and all the parts of the fruit will flavor the syrup.

Seal the Instant Pot and set it to "MANUAL" on "HIGH PRESSURE" for 7 minutes.

Once the timer goes off, set the valve to "VENT" and strain the mixture into a sieve over a bowl. Squeeze the mixture through the sieve with the back of the spoon until no more liquid comes out. Discard the remaining berries and citrus.

Once the syrup has cooled to room temperature add in your honey. Feel free to add in more if you require more sweetness.

Pour into a refrigerator safe container. Drink each morning to boost your immunity!

My daughter and I enjoyed making this recipe. I will have order vanilla paste on amazon. Any recommendations? We were also too enthusiastic and added the honey before it cooled (we most likely killed the raw honey). I used my candy thermometer and the syrup temp was 138 F. Oops … note to self next time. xoxo from NoDak.

Hi! This is my first time hearing about elderberry syrup, but I try all home remedies before giving my one-year old any type of medication. How much would you recommend giving a one-year old? Would I give it to him every day during this flu season? And how about for adults?

Julie I’m not a doctor so i could not tell you I’m sorry. I would definitively ask your pediatrician. I give it to my munchkins when I know flu season is starting. And then some more if they get sick. I do a shot during flu season as well. But again don’t take my advice as I am not a doctor 🙂

I made your recipe as directed and it is delicious. However now I’m reading several other sites which recommend to sauté the syrup at the end for at least 15 minutes to reduce the liquid. This supposedly helps to remove any cyanide residue from the berries.
Do you know anything about this?
Just want to make sure this is safe.
I shared the syrup with friends and now I’m worried.
Thanks!

Yes!! I was going to say THIS!! You are missing a crucial step. After cooking in IP for 7 mins and squish goodies and strain, keep the lid open and YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO SIMMER IT UNTIL REDUCED BY HALF! THIS creates the syrup consistency! Everything else is correct (I use 4 cups water to 1 cup berries. Makes it plenty strong and makes berries last longer as they are $20-30/lb!) I have been making this for years and there IS a learning curve 😉

Not sure if I missed it, but how much elderberry should we take? I made the recipe tonight. My kids HATE it. I didn’t add the cinnamon and cloves because the last batch I made like that they hated because it was too spicy. This isn’t spicy, but just doesn’t have a good flavor. I added extra honey…but it’s still not very tasty. Wondering what I could add to help make it taste better. Super sweet…but it’s just not tasty.

Did you add the citrus ? The cinnamon helps with the flavor without the spice. You can also add it to orange juice to mellow out the flavor 😉 I always take a shot glass… but I would talk to your physician about how much to take 🙂

Hi! I am excited to try your recipe. I tried another one and it was ok but I like Vanilla and thing this sounds good. Is Ginger essential for the healing/immune properties? I am not a huge ginger fan but will use if it it does indeed help! Thank you!

I was only able to get about 16-20 ounces made into a 32 ounce jar- maybe. Didn’t mash enough but don’t think that would have made up the missing ounces, plus I had to put it on the sauté setting just to thickened it up a bit- it was pure liquid without doing that. How did that one follower come up with 40oz from this recipe!

Do you happen to know if this syrup can be used to make gummies? My 2 year old has been taking elderberry gummies every morning and loves them, but I don’t think he’d be so accepting of a syrup that seems to much like medicine.

I want to make this but I have a question. This recipe calls for 6 cups of water but other recipes only call for 3 cups with the same amount of Elderberries. I want to make the gummies. Should I decrease the amount of water so when I make the gummies they will harden?

The package says that in order to safely be used for making syrup you must first boil and strain them and then use those berries to make a syrup. It seems to say that the initial liquid it was boiled in cannot be used for the syrup.

I have tried to do some research and have gotten varying opinions… what is your take? Is the medicinal quality of the elderberry syrup lessened by cooking it in the instant pot rather than a slow simmer over the stove? It takes less time in the instant pot, but potentially the heat is higher (7 minutes plus time to pressure vs 20-30 minutes on the stove).

Love the addition of the citrus and spices and vanilla. Before straining, I use my immersuon blender to eek out as much goodness as I can from the beneficial ingredients. Wonderful recipe ~ many thanks

I was looking for something to do with my gooseberries (very ripe – black). They are delicious, but I don’t have the patience to “top-and-tail” them so I washed and froze them. Threw them in the instant pot and followed your recipe. I’m sure the result isn’t particularly medicinal, but its good and I’ll add it to drinking water and try to think of other uses. Will also experiment with flavorings. Think I’ll try it with blackberries, red currents, etc. Thanks for getting me going.

I tend to think about each and every step before I embark on any project… So with that said, I have 2 questions: I googled how much a “shot” was (as I want to get as much benefits from the syrup, but I’d still like the batch to last as long as possible before I need to make another) the answer was unclear. It said there is not a standard size for a shot glass. So if like to know how many ounces of the syrup your doing every day (just as maintenance; not necessarily when sniffles start up)… Question 2; if I make a double batch and freeze one. Will I be compromising the health benefits of the syrup? Thank you for the recipe. I’m ordering the elderberry today.

I am wondering what the longest time you have kept the syrup for? I made some a month and half ago and am wondering if it is still good. An herbal group I belong to says to put 1 cup of honey for 3 cups of the elderberry liquid to keep it more shelf stable.

After I cook this, do you think it’s ok to put the liquid and berries in my vitamix and then strain it? Is there a reason (other than texture) why bits of the berries shouldn’t be in the syrup? I am just thinking I can get more juice extracted that way. This is our first time trying it. I bought some from a neighbor thinking we were getting a large mason jar and it was a small one. I wasn’t thrilled that I paid so much so I’ll just start making my own!

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[…] cinnamon, and vanilla. The store-bought kind is not cheap, though, so I found this recipe for Elderberry Syrup at The Girl and the Kitchen that you can make in the Instant Pot in just seven minutes. […]

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